Help me bring my build from 2000 closer to 1000

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Myxomatosis

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Feb 24, 2007
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16
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
This will be my main computer. I plan on working on many aspects of my design work which include the Adobe Master collection (mainly photoshop, illustrator, After Effects, Dreamweaver) Gaming will be a high priority as well (BF3 anyone?) as well as the ability to have my computer multitask fluidly while working and gaming in perhaps all of these areas at once. I want to future proof my build as much as possible since I don't upgrade often.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
I am hoping around 1000 dollars before tax and shipping but I do not have any problem saving up to 2000 if it will give me the experience that I desire.

3) Which country do you live in?
Orange California, US

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget?

The links are things that I have been thinking about getting. I know it puts me far above my budget (around 2000) but I have had good experiece with these brands in the past and not sure where I can get the same performance/reliability for cheaper. These are all the parts I need but if you feel like something I could use is missing, please make a suggestion.

Case - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139005 I like the look and features of this case.
MoBo - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128498
Processor - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115070 I've read its better for processing video than the i5
Heat Sink - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181016
memory - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233143 Since aftereffects utilizes memory heavily and I want to be able to bounce between many programs at once.
graphics card - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130590 common enough card to where I can sli 6-12 months down the road for a quick performance boost.
SSD - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148442
1-2 Large Storage Drives – http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136533
Power Supply - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139009
Monitor - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236049
Blu-ray? - worth it?


5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.

LG optical drive - GH22LS30 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspxItem=N82E16827136153
western digital 1.5TB 5400rpm I've been using for storage.

6) Will you be overclocking?
I would like to overclock - It will be my first serious attempt and I will have a buddy of mine give me advice during.

7) 7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
1920 x 1080 or 1920 x 1200 and 24". I'm having a hard time deciding. higher resolution seems like a better option but I was thinking it might be better to go for a smaller 20-23 inch and buy two of them. Multiple monitors (most likely 2) is where I will end up if I cannot in this initial build.

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
As soon as I have the cash. I was planning on waiting for the after thanksgiving cyber Monday deals for the chance that the parts I want are on sale. It's not a big deal if they are not since I can't really plan on what the prices will be. I just figured I could scrounge up 2 grand by then too if needed.

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video? etc.

I would like to have 1 ssd and 2-3 large storage hard drives but I have never set up a RAID before so I don't plan on it for this build. I want to SLI eventually. good on board audio since I won't have a audio card. z68 north bridge unless there are disadvantages to not utilizing all of its features. sata 6gb/s for my drives. If you know of any features that would be beneficial please share your ideas.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Windows 7 64bit


Thank you in advance for your knowledge and willingness to help me out. It's possible that I might have left something out so if you have any questions please ask and I will do my best to promptly respond.

 
 
Myxomatosis said:
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
I am hoping around 1000 dollars before tax and shipping but I do not have any problem saving up to 2000 if it will give me the experience that I desire.
Click to expand...
Ok what is the number 1 priority for you? Getting the build around $1000 or having the experience that you desire? You can't have both. Getting the build to around $1000 or even $1500 will mean that you have to sacrifice performance and features from your current planned setup.
Myxomatosis said:
3) Which country do you live in?
Orange California, US
Click to expand...

Try to buy as much of your parts as possible from Amazon.com as they do not charge tax to CA residents. Also how long of a drive are you from the Microcenter store in Tustin? Address is:
1100 East Edinger Avenue, Tustin, CA 92780

Myxomatosis said:
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
As soon as I have the cash. I was planning on waiting for the after thanksgiving cyber Monday deals for the chance that the parts I want are on sale. It's not a big deal if they are not since I can't really plan on what the prices will be. I just figured I could scrounge up 2 grand by then too if needed.
Click to expand...

How soon will it take for you get the cash? Whatever parts we recommend this month may not be the same parts we recommend next month since parts can become out of date, overpriced, or out of stock within a short amount of time.
 
if youre in the city of Orange, you should be less than a 15minute drive to microcenter.

microcenter protip:

go to microcenter and sign up for the rewards program.
then, buy a pen or a candy bar or something. BAM 5% one item off coupon thats valid starting 1 week later. you get one 5% coupon every single purchase. go back 1 week later for the CPU and mobo combo.
now, wait about 1-2 weeks longer and check your email box.
now, this doesnt happen every time, but often enough you get email thakning you for your CPU purchase and more coupons like 20% any GPU, RAM, CASE, etc.
 
Danny Bui said:
Ok what is the number 1 priority for you? Getting the build around $1000 or having the experience that you desire? You can't have both. Getting the build to around $1000 or even $1500 will mean that you have to sacrifice performance and features from your current planned setup.

Try to buy as much of your parts as possible from Amazon.com as they do not charge tax to CA residents. Also how long of a drive are you from the Microcenter store in Tustin? Address is:
1100 East Edinger Avenue, Tustin, CA 92780


How soon will it take for you get the cash? Whatever parts we recommend this month may not be the same parts we recommend next month since parts can become out of date, overpriced, or out of stock within a short amount of time.
Click to expand...

I was afraid that my wants were more than my ideal budget. I would say unfortunately I have to try and get as close to $1000-1500 range because at the moment that's what I can afford right now. And while waiting longer would allow me to save up more money, I'd like to do this build as soon as I can. At least you know what I want to do and accomplish, and we can figure out something that will come as close to what I need within my budget. Guess I can't have my cake and eat it too.
And yes, microcenter is nearby so I have no problem getting deals wherever I can from there. I missed out on their i5 and i7 deal unfortunately.

Thanks for the protip procyon12 I'll have to start it tomorrow.

cdotter thanks for the case idea, I think I will end up choosing that case or something similar since it seems out of my budget to pay $160 for the 600T.

N1GHTRA1N Thanks for taking the time to get something down closer to my budget. Is the ati 6970 equivalent to the nvidia 580? any good articles you like that I can read to see them compared? I'd like to learn as much as I can on why some parts are preferred more than others.
 
Myxomatosis said:
And yes, microcenter is nearby so I have no problem getting deals wherever I can from there. I missed out on their i5 and i7 deal unfortunately.
Click to expand...
Those deals are still going on AFAIK.
Myxomatosis said:
Is the ati 6970 equivalent to the nvidia 580? any good articles you like that I can read to see them compared? I'd like to learn as much as I can on why some parts are preferred more than others.
Click to expand...
The HD 6970 is slower than the GTX 580 but has a better price to performance ratio. We generally recommend the GTX 580 to people who want as much performance as possible at whatever the cost. Basically not the card to want or have if you're on a strict budget.
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2011/08/09/sapphire_hd6970_bfbc2_vietnam_special_edition_review/

Here's a quick and dirty setup now:
$270 - Intel Core i5 2500K + Asus P8Z68-V Intel Z68 ATX Motherboard combo from Microcenter
$86 - 2 x Kingston Hyper KHX1333C9D3B1K2/8G 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$110 - Crucial M4 CT064M4SSD2 2.5" 64GB SSD
$67 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$25 - Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus HSF for LGA 1366 and LGA 1156
$132 - Corsair 850TX V2 850W PSU
---
$690 plus tax and shipping

Most of the above links are to Amazon.com to avoid getting charged with tax. Missing the GPU, case, and monitor but should still have plenty of cash to cover that. In regards to the monitor, you should be looking at a IPS monitor due to their better color representation than regular TN monitors. I'll come back with monitors, case, and GPU recommendations later.
 
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Regarding your video card, the Adobe Creative Suite programs benefit from Nvidia's CUDA technology. However, the AMD "equivalents" are comparatively cheaper.

Given a $1500 hard limit, you should probably look at the GTX 570 or the HD 6950 2GB. If you have to spend less, then you should consider the GTX 560 Ti or the HD 6950 1GB.

(I'll let Danny come up with the actual recommendation. I just wanted to give you more information to digest.)
 
Lets go with this.

Get the Core i5 2500K + Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD3H combo for $289.98 from microcenter
http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/17ffca68#/17ffca68/27
The Gigabyte is the original mobo that you specified in your OP. Plus, it can run dual X8 mode on the PCI-E slots

Then, get these parts from Amazon.com with free shipping

Corsair Carbide Series 400R for $99.99 w/free shipping
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0055Q7BR4/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus for $25.19 w/free shipping
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002G1YPH0/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Corsair Enthusiast TX V2 Series 850-Watt for $131.99 w/free shipping
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005E98EI2/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

EVGA GeForce GTX 570 HD 1280 MB GDDR5 for $339.99 w/free shipping
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004L9LT24/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

2 x Kingston Technology HyperX Blu 8GB 1333MHzfor $42.97 w/free shipping
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004DDI0IE/ref=ox_sc_act_title_5?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Samsung Desktop Class Spinpoint F3 1 TB for $66.95 w/free shipping
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002MQC0P8/ref=ox_sc_act_title_6?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

LG IPS231P-BN 23-Inch Widescreen LED LCD Pivoting Monitor with IPS Panel for $239.99 w/free shipping
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004KM4AQY/ref=ox_sc_act_title_7?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Or, swap the 23” LG with this Dell U2412M 24” 1920 x 1200 res. Even with this change, you should still be under $1500 total.
http://www.provantage.com/dell-469-1137~7DELL1VY.htm

Personally, I would go for the 24” as the 120 pixels vertical height makes a difference in viewing photos.. Plus, it makes it more worthwhile to SLI on a 24” 1920 x 1200 display vs a 23” 1920 x 1080 display

Get an SSD drive and another display later on.
 
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i thought id pipe in about the 6970, the nVidia Cards will help out significantly in the Adobe suite...
 
Procyon12 said:
i thought id pipe in about the 6970, the nVidia Cards will help out significantly in the Adobe suite...
Click to expand...

Yes, further I would recommend a 2gb 560/560 ti over the 570 mentioned above due to the upward creep in vram requirements that seems to be accelerating as of late.

Here are a couple examples, I would personally try to get the dual fan cooler like MSI uses as it will drastically decrease the noise signature of the card while the lower temperatures increase its expected lifespan.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130662
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127608
 
With the exception of the motherboard, HG's build is pretty spot on. Personally I'd go with the CPU + Asus mobo I recommended earlier since the Asus has a newer UEFI interface as well as it being of higher quality than the Gigabyte.
 
isiTrue said:
I would just buy the large 7200rpm drive at this time. OCZ Octane SSD drives are coming out November 1st and will be much better and less expensive than anything on the market now (from what I read). That's why you see all of the "deals" on SSD's right now. They're trying to get rid of stock before the new drives come out.

link:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4995/oczs-octane-ssd-indilinx-everest-up-to-1tb-in-a-consumer-drive
Click to expand...

They'd have to be pretty good to overcome OCZ's abysmal reputation in the SSD market.
 
Danny Bui said:
Those deals are still going on AFAIK.
Click to expand...

And probably forever....

Microcenter has had a good deal on i7's for years now, at least judging by the fliers/emails that I get from them every week or so.
 
I've been unable to respond for awhile but thanks to all of you for your input. I think I will have to wait a little bit longer than I expected for a purchase, but these suggestions will be what I will purchase in a few weeks (unless I read something different being suggested for other builds for similar needs as mine).
I saw the antec case I wanted at blizzcon (friend had an extra ticket!) last weekend on display and it's huge! I might change my mind and go with something else. I'll let you know how your hardwork turns out when I start my build. Thanks again for your help! :D
 
HD 6870 is a good card that will be a good bang for the buck. I configured a rig for someone with a 560 ti superclocked, i5, Asus mobo, 1TB caviar black, 8gb of RAM, etc, for around 1200-1300. I can configure something for around 1000, but you'd be skimping somewhere.
 
Myxomatosis said:
I've been unable to respond for awhile but thanks to all of you for your input. I think I will have to wait a little bit longer than I expected for a purchase, but these suggestions will be what I will purchase in a few weeks (unless I read something different being suggested for other builds for similar needs as mine).
I saw the antec case I wanted at blizzcon (friend had an extra ticket!) last weekend on display and it's huge! I might change my mind and go with something else. I'll let you know how your hardwork turns out when I start my build. Thanks again for your help! :D
Click to expand...

Revisit this thread a week or two before you're ready to buy everything and list out the parts that you're considering then. That way, we can have one final review and/or point out some things that are on sale, may be overpriced, or aren't available.
 
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